Team for Norwich

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I would go with one up front and two proper widemen.

Kuipers

Calderon
Painter
Elphick
Virgo

Navarro
Crofts
Dicker

Lua Lua
Bennett

Murray

I like that team.

Having seen Norwich tear us apart up there, I think the idea of 3 central midfield players is a good idea, certainly for this game.

If things don't go well, sacrifice one of the three for a second striker.

By 5pm Saturday, if we have one more point than we started with, I'd be delighted.

 

[severnside gull]

with Forster back in first team training today............................

Kuipers
Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter
Bennett Navarro Crofts LuaLua
Murray Holroyd

subs: Forster Dicker Dickinson McNulty Hoyte Carole Cox

 

[Gav1901]

Kuipers

Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter

Bennett Dicker Crofts Lua Lua

Murray Holroyd

Finally a team that makes sense .

 

[fleet]

Kuipers
Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter
Bennett Navarro Crofts LuaLua
Murray Holroyd

I would go for this, so we can rule that out as the staring line up straight away.

 

[SI 4 BHA]

Kuipers

Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter

Lua Lua/Bennett, Crofts Navarro Dicker

Murray Holroyd

Can't see both Bennett and Lua Lua (is he even any good?) playing in the same team against arguably the best team in the League. Poyet has shown that he is not a great fan of 2 wide players, and in my opinion that is one of the reasons we have tightened up defensively, the full backs now have far more protection than they had earlier in the season. Can see us playing cautiously to scrape a point. They will murder us if we give them too much space.

Most wide players are a luxury, they generally create little and don't do their share of defending so there is space to attack the full back behind the winger. At the highest level there are of course exceptions, Giggs, Ronaldo, etc, but in a league 1 relegation scrap, 1 winger is more than enough. Sorry to be boring, but I'm with Sir Alf on this! I'll take success over flair anyday thanks.

 

[Forster's Armband]

Kuipers

Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter

Lua Lua/Bennett, Crofts Navarro Dicker

Murray Holroyd

Can't see both Bennett and Lua Lua (is he even any good?) playing in the same team against arguably the best team in the League. Poyet has shown that he is not a great fan of 2 wide players, and in my opinion that is one of the reasons we have tightened up defensively, the full backs now have far more protection than they had earlier in the season. Can see us playing cautiously to scrape a point. They will murder us if we give them too much space.

Most wide players are a luxury, they generally create little and don't do their share of defending so there is space to attack the full back behind the winger. At the highest level there are of course exceptions, Giggs, Ronaldo, etc, but in a league 1 relegation scrap, 1 winger is more than enough. Sorry to be boring, but I'm with Sir Alf on this! I'll take success over flair anyday thanks.

This is a decent account of the problem facing Gus. I would love to see Bennett and LuaLua playing on Sat and it could work but you would have to ask Crofts and Dicker to sit deep, that could mean they get caught covering the wingers as they stroll off attacking leaving central midfield over run and I believe that Mr Hoolahan would kill us if that happens. So if it where my decision I would play Murray upfront with LuaLua and Bennett playing as supporting wide midfielders have Dicker and Crofts sitting in the middle of midfield and get Navarro to hassle and kick lumps out Hoolahan. That way we play 4-3-3 in attack and 4-5-1 when defending. Always like this when MA did it with Zamora on his own and Brooker and a left winger (or Nathan Jones). I think it could work with the players we have and the lack of Forster to partner Muzza. But hey I am not the manager!



So I would go


------------Kuipers-----------
Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter
----Navarro Dicker Crofts----
Bennett----------------LuaLua
------------Murray-----------

 

[We're the Stripes]

^ Also read yesterday that Lua Lua can play as a deep-lying striker, so hopefully he can link up well with Murray in advanced areas when he's not surging in from the wing. (These are the fairytale images I have in my head)

Like the look of that formation anyway. Think he'll go with a 4-4-2 though. Whether he'll go for two wingers or stick with the midfield 3 is anyone's guess.

 

[fleet]

This is a decent account of the problem facing Gus. I would love to see Bennett and LuaLua playing on Sat and it could work but you would have to ask Crofts and Dicker to sit deep, that could mean they get caught covering the wingers as they stroll off attacking leaving central midfield over run and I believe that Mr Hoolahan would kill us if that happens. So if it where my decision I would play Murray upfront with LuaLua and Bennett playing as supporting wide midfielders have Dicker and Crofts sitting in the middle of midfield and get Navarro to hassle and kick lumps out Hoolahan. That way we play 4-3-3 in attack and 4-5-1 when defending. Always like this when MA did it with Zamora on his own and Brooker and a left winger (or Nathan Jones). I think it could work with the players we have and the lack of Forster to partner Muzza. But hey I am not the manager!



So I would go


------------Kuipers-----------
Calderon Virgo Elphick Painter
----Navarro Dicker Crofts----
Bennett----------------LuaLua
------------Murray-----------

That needs the midfield in the box to get on the crosses from Bennett and LuaLua as there is no point putting corsses in unless there are people in teh box.

 

[Forster's Armband]

That needs the midfield in the box to get on the crosses from Bennett and LuaLua as there is no point putting corsses in unless there are people in teh box.

Well one of Dicker or Crofts or even both could support the attack. But to be honest the full backs can get forward and LuaLua and Bennett can cut into the box and cause problems that way as well.